The fallen child
by Storylover Vodhr- Dux Ducis
Summary: All it takes is a single tweak to change everything. Instead of bonding to the one who would guide them, Chara finds herself stuck with a very familiar person, who is now a flower. Can a broken child learn to forgive like they were meant to, when the results of their previous actions end up being their only compass?
1. Chapter 1

"Heh, So, what do we have here?"

Flowey the flower was honestly and pleasantly surprised. This was something totally and unexpectedly _new_.

A child.

A human child. All alone, unknown to the underground that they fell into.

And he was the first to find them. He definitely didn't remember this ever happening before, but hey, he wasn't one to complain. This was, as far as he could see, just a gift from the sky, a reparation for all the world took from him.

He deserved it, after all. The world took everything he was and everything he had. If anything, it still owed him everything. But it was a start.

He would just finish the child now, take their soul, and be on his way. But...

No, that was a bad idea. This right here, this was a momentous occasion. A human soul, all to himself, without having to fight Asgore for it. This needed to be savored.

The child was even laying face down in the flowers, an ironically funny, if completely proper sight. Even unconscious, the child knew their place. So, no. He'd savor this moment. He'd even make a save, just in case he wanted to do it again.

After all, this needed drama, this needed humor. This needed that little extra zip that only betrayal and deception could provide. He would watch as the child breathed their last, their eyes filled with sorrow and shock as he killed them as if one would a fly.

His gut made a funny twinge at that, and Flowey's face changed from excitement, to a frown. Was that...?

Nah, it couldn't be. Flowey shook his head in annoyance, and refocused himself. The child, whoever they were, would die. But, they would die right. Hopeless and alone. Like she did.

But, he needed them awake for that. Sure, the kid would wake soon on their own, but he wasn't just gonna wait around for them. He had a stage to make.

So, he'd get set up in the mean time. The flower then dived under the soil, and moved to the next area. The little section the child fell into had only one entrance and exit, so he didn't need to worry. They'd be led straight to him.

And he could wait. Countless runs and countless failed plans could attest to that. They would walk in, and he'd introduce himself right. Maybe even go for his friendliness pellets joke; He hadn't used that one in ages.

He was Flowey the flower, and he was gonna get what he deserved.

* * *

Numbness.

They felt nothing but the void. Nothing but emptiness, nothing but fragility, the wispy feeling of barely even being there. They were floating, bibbing and bobbing, and yet, only one thing came to mind.

How?

They felt nothing, and yet... They shouldn't even be aware of that fact. They should be one with the void. One with the emptiness that was death. They died, didn't they?

They weren't sure.

But yet, they still knew, they still thought. It was frustrating. They had nothing, were nothing, and knew nothing. And yet, they still thought, they still knew, in a strange, roundabout way.

They remembered nothing, but they knew who they were. They felt nothing, yet could tell where they are. Couldn't see, but watched the ebbs and flows of the universe around them.

It would be frustrating if the situation didn't shift so rapidly that they couldn't keep up. Thoughts, knowledge, feelings, form, they all shifted from one state, to another, thoughts dying as quickly as a severed limb fell away from the blade, memories fading and reappearing faster than they could register.

But after what felt like both an eternity and a second, a singular thought formed, and stuck. No, now they truly did know one thing.

They had a purpose.

But they didn't know what it was. That was all they knew. It was their everything and nothing, now.

Perhaps, they would be shown the way?

Yes, that sounded right, the void answered. This would be their salvation or damnation. Redemption or fall from grace. But if they were to do so, they needed to find their guide, first.

The void gave another acknowledgement, and they nodded. Apparently, it was time.

And, with that, they suddenly came back into existence, back into where they hoped they belonged.

There was light, there was sensation. There was thought, there was knowledge.

And, then, there was everything. They were whole, but missing. Broken, yet repaired. They were Chara. The fallen child who died to save monster kind.

And now, they-

Wrong. This was wrong. The portions of void that still held them screamed that they weren't were they were supposed to be, that they weren't with the one who would guide them. The remnants of the void wanted to simultaneously scream and laugh, and Chara felt as even those last remnants slipped away. They were alone now. They were, if not alive, back.

Chara took a few moments to come to her senses and get a feel for what she was. They could see now. Feel now. They weren't in control, they weren't able to do much but feel. But they could feel. It was something she didn't know she missed.

She then mentally sighed, and decided to try and feel whatever she was in. The void, whatever it was, said something went wrong. But how wrong? Wrong person, or wrong object?

Was she stuck in a rock? Or was she stuck in a random passerby?

Chara made another mental sigh, and pretended that she could shake her head. She'd just have to stretch out, and-

"Well, hello there! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!"

She was stuck in a flower.

* * *

 **A/N So, random idea I came up with. Chara being stuck in Flowey, rather than our cute little protagonist. It should be fun, right?**

 **Anyway, I think I should put some warning tags out.**

 **First one, Spoilers. Like, all of them. Everywhere. Be warned.**

 **Second, I genuinely like the Narrator Chara theory. So, she'll be gruff, crude, and rude, but she genuinely means well. She wants best for her people, and honestly didn't mean anything beyond freeing everyone when she got herself iced. Well, she might have wanted a bit of revenge, but her main reason was doing what she thought was right.**

 **Third, Frisk will be pacifist Neutral. Think "I want to do good" but not to stupid, "I'll get myself killed" extremes. I never really bought the whole "frisk is the paragon of good" just like I never bought "Chara is the paragon of evil." They're both kids, and people. They have good and bad bits.**

 **And fourth, er... Not sure which genre this will be. I got a bit of a plan, but it's basically "Follow the plot, but like this" rather than any logical process. I'll label it as adventure, but it might get switched up a bit.**

 **If there is a ship, it'll be Asriel/Chara. I've always been a sucker for Best friend/best friend ships. Not saying there will be, but hey, if it happens, it happens.**

 **And, lastly, Chara's a girl. Should be obvious at this point. However, I will keep Frisk as Gender neutral.**

 **Oh, and for all of those wanting Dragonfall to update, I have a good reason why I haven't, I swear!**


	2. Realizations

Flowey watched in amusement as the child did exactly as he thought they would, and stumbled tiredly into the clearing a few moments after he left them. But, once they got near, their eyes changed from pained exhaustion to confusion, then to genuine curiosity, and they turned their head to the side as if trying to make sense of what they saw. The poor fool didn't even suspect a thing.

"Hello! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!"

The child's face changed again, this time into complete bewilderment. "Uh..."

The kid probably never met a talking flower before. Or heck, a flower with a face. But it didn't matter if they found him disgusting, weird, or, heck, it didn't matter if they thought that he was actually kinda cool; They'd never meet another being after this anyway.

"You must be new to the underground! Well, I bet you don't know what's going on, huh?"

The human nodded, and Flowey made a fake, but very convincing smile. He wanted to play with his food first. "Well... That won't do... Somebody gotta show you how things work down here! I guess, if ya want... I can do it!"

For some reason, Flowey felt... surprise. He felt both Surprise and irritation at himself. It was strange... foreign, but it was still there. But it made no sense... He had to be imagining it.

After all, why would he, of all people, think that himself was far too trusting?

He brought his attention back to the child, and watched as they gave him a cautious, but genuine smile, and nodded in acceptance, and Flowey forced his irritation down. It could wait. He then spoke again, and gave the child a mighty wink. "Alright!"

"So, down here, our... Hmm... Our score, is determined through LV. LV stands for love! And love is shared through this!" Flowey then made a bullet, which somehow brought up the feeling of surprise, confusing him again. What was going on?

He'd... He'd figure it out later. The child, and more importantly, their Soul, was much more important than the inner machinations of his already damaged mind right now. "This right here, is a friendliness pellet! I'm gonna give you a couple, so catch th-"

Suddenly, before he could finish, his gut roiled with both his own muted and dying amusement, and a foreign, but still overwhelming disgust, along with the feeling of a sudden realization. The conflicting emotions hit him like a freight train, and he couldn't help but grunt, confusing the child when his "Friendliness pellet" disappeared. What the heck was going on!?

Then, a small, faint voice came from within, weak, frail. It almost was too quiet to hear, but yet, he still couldn't miss it.

"Deceiver."

It was a curious feeling, to be honest, but that wasn't what Flowey was concerned about. It was the voice that was attached to it. Even with it as faint as it was, as weak and frail, He could still recognize it. But it couldn't be. It was completely impossible. In fact...

No. It was impossible. He was just, er, having a mental breakdown. Poor timing, sure, but it wouldn't be the first time. Last one, he actually thought he wasn't a flower anymore for a while. If he could think that, he could easily imagine _her_ in his head.

"Sorry... It's, uh, really hard making these friendliness pellets. Whoo! I... I haven't done this in a while."

The child's face sank into a sympathetic, if slightly guilty look, and Flowey knew he bought himself a short moment of respite. He then focused, and tried to shut out the irritation and anger that was definitely *Not* his. It took some doing, but he managed to block them out. He'd deal with his slightly off psyche later.

"So, er... Let's try this again. Make sure you don't miss any! I can't really make a lot more of these."

The kid nodded desperately, eager to please, and Flowey made some more bullets. "Ok, so- Urk!"

The "pellets" disappeared again, this time because of the unyielding rage that he was somehow feeling... at himself. Dang, this was a doosy. If this was "Chara", his psyche really got her anger pegged. As he took a moment to try and recompose himself, he heard the voice again. Its voice was venomous, and much, much clearer.

"Liar."

Flowey grunted again, but was unable to say anything before it continued. "If you're gonna kill it, at least be honest."

Wow. Grade A impersonation. Truly. He should've expected it from himself.

"A human doesn't belong here, but don't you dare lie about what you want. Just kill it, and move on."

Flowey felt another pang of fury, both at himself, and at the human, before it started to cool down. "Monsters are better than that."

Ok, so this was the new record for self-loathing. He hadn't imagined _her_ hating him before. But, hey, at least it hated the human too. His mind wasn't actively trying to screw himself up. And, alright, sure, maybe he had been a little... _psychotic_ with what he had planned, but still, his mind making guilt take the form of her? That was a whole new low, and that wasn't counting the whole "Feeling an impossible emotion" being added into the mix.

Golly, was today interesting. "S-Sorry. I... I don't think I can do this."

The child was beside him now, to his surprise, but they nodded in sympathy. He'd just have to kill them outright, he thought in the general direction of his apparent guilt. There was no "verbal" response, but there was a pang of approval.

"A human? What are you doing down here?"

Oh, crap nuggets. Toriel found him with the kid. He better just load a save, and finish them after he-

The save wasn't loading. Why wasn't the save loading!?

Flowey felt a pang of panic, and made a split second decision, making a dive underground. He even ignored the sudden surprised gasp from the child as he did so. Sure, he hadn't done anything to gain Toriel's ire this playthrough, but still, if she was prepared, it would be a difficult fight, and he didn't want to risk losing the human in the process, especially seeing as he couldn't load in case he messed up.

It would just be best if he waited until a better time, until he figured out why he couldn't load his previous save.

In the mean time... He might as well figure out what was going on with his head. First, feelings and voices, and now, this? This was ridiculous. But, he needed privacy to confront... himself. Something that the ruins couldn't give, and something he didn't want to try underground. It was hard, and frankly, he didn't want to be underground very long. Was suffocating on his leaves.

So, Snowdin it was. Silent. Few monsters. Cold and dreary, like his empty heart. Yes, it was the perfect place.

He would go to the land of snow. He turned in the direction, and moved, and as he moved through the underground, the "feeling" changed from its slight anger, to confusion. It didn't seem to understand what he was doing, or where he was going, and its confusion in turn made him confused. The feeling was him! Why would it be confused?

He needed to sort this out. Right now. He looked for a "Safe" place to surface, and the instant he found an abandoned area far from town, he did so, immediately feeling the cool air of Snowdin upon his petals as he erupted from the snow. Good, the cold would keep him focused.

"Ok! So, what are ya? A voice in my head? Guilt? Insanity? The ghost of Christmas past? Because if you're gonna just stick around and screw up my stuff, I at least wanna know who to blame."

The "Voice" gave a shrug, which felt as weird as one would expect. But it held no "verbal" response.

"Come on! If you're gonna hang around in my noggin', I wanna know what ya are. I mean, if you're... me, which, of course you are, but admitting it is half the battle and all. But yeah, if you tell me what you are, I can at least figure out what ya want."

Flowey then scoffed, and didn't wait for a response. "Because, hey! I get it, I'm evil. Yeah, kill, burn, pillage, that sorta thing. If you're my "guilt," Flowey then morphed his face into his old, goat-like one, "I know what you want me to do, cause "poor sweet little Asriel" feels oh-so terrible. Except, ya know, I never felt guilt, so... really makes that one hard to believe, I guess. I wouldn't fall for it."

The "Voice" in his head froze, and filled itself, and, by proxy, him, with horror. Genuine, as in, the emotion, horror. And that was a big enough sucker punch to knock Flowey on his stalk.

"Asriel?"

The voice was... begging. Horrified. Hurt. Emotional. All the kind of things that they shouldn't be. He didn't feel, so how could his own inner demons do so?

It made no sense. None. Nada. Zilche. He had no soul, and no soul meant no emotion. He could barely muster up feeling angry about things, and even that was a forced, physical thing. But, earlier, he felt fury. Disgust. And now, horror.

All in the voice, essence, and style of her.

And, like that, the reality hit him. Maybe...it was _her_. Actually her. After all his begging, and all his crying, all his suffering... Maybe she finally came. He'd cry in joy if he could feel it. If it was true."Ch-Chara?"

The voic- No, _Chara_ nodded in reply, and gave him a weak "smile." She didn't mean it, not really, but that didn't matter, because that was all he needed. She actually came back. He cried out for help, and wouldn't you know it, someone actually came this time.

"What happened? Why... Why are you a flower?"


	3. Feelings

**A/N So, next chapter! Just like the previous chapters, this is a hour challenge chapter, so forgive me if it's a little rough. Or extremely rough.**

* * *

 _"What happened? Why... Why are you a flower?"_

Chara was completely, utterly horrified. Asriel, her best friend, was somehow now a damn flower. She didn't even know that could happen, let alone it actually being a thing she'd come across personally. And, as if that weren't enough, it had to happen to one of the nicest people in the underground.

Seriously, what happened? She had no idea how long she was gone, but the transition from death to rebirth felt immediate, yet terrifyingly long. But she chalked that up to the fact that it was death and all. It couldn't have been that long, could it? And even if it was, it still didn't explain why her best friend was not only a flower, but still underground. Chara felt her surprise and horror change to despair. What happened? Who did this? How?

Asriel should be in the capital, being hailed as the savior of Monster-kind, or, better yet, on the surface, feeling the sun on his fur, looking at the stars at night. Not down in the underground, stuck as a... plant. Did the plan somehow fail? Did her Soul do something funny to him? They didn't know what a human soul would do when they made the plan, and she knew that humans were bad and all, but she didn't expect human souls to be _that_ horrible...

As Chara was mentally reeling, Asriel made an awkward chuckle, bringing her out of her mental spin. No, she needed to focus. She couldn't grieve. Asriel needed her attention.

She made a mental acknowledgement, not trusting herself with anything else, and Asriel sighed. "Well... Er, how do I say this? You know how I got your soul and all?"

Chara mentally nodded, her full attention now on him. Asriel would know the answers. Maybe he even knew how to fix this.

"Well, after all that, I died. Like, hardcore. Barely got back to the underground with your, er, body. Don't you remember?"

Chara certainly didn't. Her heart sunk to the bottom of her gut, and she felt little more than soul shattering shock. Her plan... It got her best friend killed. He was supposed to be the hero of the underground. Not a dead child. All she accomplished was getting herself and her best friend dead.

She should've expected it. She was just a human, after all.

"You... You died?"

The flower then sat there silent for a bit, as if thinking, before finally giving a theatrical sigh. "I tried, Chara. I tried to do like you wanted, but... er, I didn't really know how to fight. I ended up having to run away, but they hurt me too bad, and I died, and... woke up as a flower."

He then mentally leaned into her, the sensation dulling the emotion, the sting. It was nice, and honestly, he seemed to enjoy it as well. But after a moment, he sighed, this time... happily. "When I woke up... I was alone. Mom and dad... They didn't recognize me... I couldn't feel anything, and... you were gone. I... I don't have a Soul anymore, Chara. I can't feel. Emotions and stuff are just gone, and I've been alone for so long... but now... You're here. And I'm so happy you're back."

Another gut punch. Chara couldn't even formulate a genuine response, and all she could do was sit there and feel as Asriel, again, leaned in mentally, almost greedily drawing in her emotion. After a moment, the drain weaned, and the emotion was dulled enough for her to manage a response. "How long?"

At the question, Asriel perked up. "Oh, I don't know. A hundred years? Two hundred? I've lost count, to be honest. Time flies when you're a flower."

That made her feel even worse. She left her friend to this fate for that long? Again, Asriel leaned in and drawn from her sorrow before speaking. "But you! You actually came back! Mom and Dad are alive, and they never did that! And you died! I wouldn't have blamed ya if you didn't show up, being dead and all, but you actually showed up!"

He gave her the mental equivalent of a snuggle, and sighed. "You're the only one I need, Chara."

"But... I got you killed!"

Asriel smiled at that, but it seemed... fake. "Pssh! It was my fault, anyway. I didn't think humans would be all strong and stuff, and... Well, it doesn't matter. Like you said, it's kill or be killed!"

He then shook his head, and made another sigh. "But, even if I did blame you... I forgive you. You did what no one else did. You showed up when I needed it. And, even better, I can feel what you feel, so if you feel so bad, you can help me feel again!"

"But... you were alone for-"

"Eh, doesn't matter! Better late than never, right? I forgive you!"

His words were soft and kind, and with him already drawing on her grief, it was enough to balance it out, and Chara felt herself perk up a bit. "Maybe..."

But, the void said this was... wrong. She was supposed to be elsewhere, not with Asriel, as nice as that was. Maybe she was supposed to save him in a different way, maybe even help him get his soul back. But even if that was true... it didn't matter now, seeing as she was here. She would just have to fix what she screwed up where she was. And, well, she had someone she could trust in Asriel.

She'd make it work.

"So, er, wanna go after the human?"

Oh yeah. There was that, too. There was a human in the underground, one who might just start killing at a moment's notice. She had to save the underground, Asriel, Asgore and Toriel, and fix everything. But, she could do it. She had to.

"Yes. We have to protect the underground."

There was a spark of fury at her words, and Asriel lapped it up happily. "Alright! So, er, back to the ruins!"


	4. Intoxicating

"Oh, I don't know... A hundred years? Two hundred? I've lost count, to be honest. Time flies when you're a flower."

Another pulse of grief, of guilt, and Asriel would be lying if he said that he didn't revel in it. But, at the same time, he hated it. This was wrong. Totally, horribly wrong.

But, every second of sorrow, every moment of actual, genuine emotion, It was... _intoxicating._ After years of feeling nothing but the abyssal emptiness that was his soulless existence, even the feeling of terrible guilt and sadness was breathtaking. It was so much, that he was actively tormenting her, just to get more.

And Asriel knew fully who he was goading, who he was guilt tripping. Tormenting. But he couldn't feel guilty, not truly, and even though the emotion was a negative one, he couldn't help but try and draw it out for as long as he could. But, he shouldn't. It was Chara, the one who actually came back, the one who answered his cries after so long. He was tormenting her for a sick thrill.

He had to comfort her. Sate her guilt. He was many things, but he wouldn't be a terrible friend to Chara. Not again. "But you! You actually came back! Mom and Dad are alive, and they never did that! And you died! I wouldn't have blamed ya if you didn't show up, being dead and all, but you actually showed up!"

The words were hollow. A lie. In many a play through, he had managed to get both Asgore and Toriel to care for him again, to love him again. Heck, in a few, he even managed to get them back together. But those were void now. Right now, he was alone, and he would use that to his advantage. To her advantage.

He then gave her a mental hug, and gave a happy-esque sigh. "You're the only one I need, Chara."

It was true. He only needed her to be whole again. She was his everything.

But she apparently wasn't comforted yet. "But I got you killed!"

Asriel almost laughed at that, and the only thing that stopped him was a lack of genuine amusement. No, he got himself killed by being weak. Chara was right all along, and he had to die to learn that. He made a weak, forced smile, and held back a sigh. "Pssh! It was my fault, anyway. I didn't think humans would be all strong and stuff, and... Well, it doesn't matter. Like you said, it's kill or be killed!"

He learned that the hard way. If he had only listened to her the first time around, everyone would be happy, he'd still be alive, and Chara's soul would still be with him. But no, he had to try mercy, he had to try and spare the humans. And look where that got him. Got Chara. "But, even if I did blame you... I forgive you. You did what no one else did. You showed up when I needed it. And, even better, I can feel what you feel, so if you feel so bad, you can help me feel again!"

She objected, but she was starting to wear down. "But... you were alone for-"

"Eh, doesn't matter! Better late than never, right? I forgive you!"

He wasn't lying when he said he forgave her. He didn't feel any anger or betrayal, after all, so it was surprisingly easy to do something as simple as forgive a friend for a dumb choice, even though the dumb choice was really his. And, even if he did want to get revenge or get some sort of repayment, her delicious, delightful pain was enough. It was _exquisite_.

No, it was Chara suffering. He couldn't.

But... It was _amazing._

"Maybe..."

Asriel took another moment to draw from her remaining grief, before sighing in exasperation. He hadn't had his fill yet, sure, but he had to stop. He was tormenting his absolute best friend, and if that weren't enough, there was a human running amok. He had better things to do than screw up further, and even at that, Chara was starting to feel better.

So, he... _they_ would continue on, and do what they needed to. Like "Saving" the underground from the human. And with Chara at his side, he could easily find them. Break them. Crush them. And, maybe, if the human wasn't as nice as Chara was...

Maybe he could get a couple more doses of grief. Maybe even fury or rage as well. If the human was like Chara said they would be, they would just cut a dust-filled swath through the underground. And all of that pain, all of that sorrow sounded delicious.

Asriel grimaced internally at the thought, and forced it down. No, he shouldn't think like that. Chara didn't deserve that, and even though Chara may have been his friend before, now she was his salvation. He owed her everything already. Now, he was in her debt completely.

She was his source of determination, his guide. The internal, imagined voice that pushed him forward when he started to falter. And now, his sole source of love, joy, grief and pain. She was his everything, and he'd be damned if he was the biggest source of her pain.

"So, er, wanna go after the human?"

Asriel felt as her resolution seemingly solidified. "Yes. We have to protect the underground."

She was on board. And, with Chara on his side, the human didn't stand a chance. Even if he couldn't load.

The human would die, they would save the underground, and he would get their soul. Sure, he had no real reason to want to save the underground, but if that was what Chara wanted, he'd go for it. How couldn't he?

After all, he owed her so much. Saving the underground wouldn't even make a dent in his debt.


End file.
